[Federal Register Volume 84, Number 137 (Wednesday, July 17, 2019)]
[Notices]
[Pages 34116-34117]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2019-15185]


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 Notices
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  Federal Register / Vol. 84, No. 137 / Wednesday, July 17, 2019 / 
Notices  

[[Page 34116]]



DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service

[Docket No. APHIS-2018-0074]


Recognition of Freedom From Citrus Longhorned Beetle and Asian 
Longhorned Beetle in Certain European Union Countries

AGENCY: Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, USDA.

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: We are notifying the public that we propose to update the U.S. 
Department of Agriculture Plants for Planting Manual by recognizing 22 
European Union Member States as being free from citrus longhorned 
beetle (CLB) and Asian longhorned beetle (ALB) and removing them from 
the list of countries where CLB and ALB are present. We would also 
change the entry conditions in the manual for imports of certain host 
plant taxa of CLB and ALB from four of these countries (Belgium, 
Denmark, the Netherlands, and the United Kingdom) because they have 
previously approved genera exempted from the category of plants Not 
Authorized Pending Pest Risk Analysis. These changes would relieve 
certain restrictions on host plants of CLB and ALB from Belgium, 
Denmark, the Netherlands, and the United Kingdom while continuing to 
mitigate the risk of introducing quarantine pests into the United 
States.

DATES: We will consider all comments that we receive on or before 
September 16, 2019.

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments by either of the following methods:
     Federal eRulemaking Portal: Go to http://www.regulations.gov/#!docketDetail;D=APHIS-2018-0074.
     Postal Mail/Commercial Delivery: Send your comment to 
Docket No. APHIS-2018-0074, Regulatory Analysis and Development, PPD, 
APHIS, Station 3A-03.8, 4700 River Road, Unit 118, Riverdale, MD 20737-
1238.
    Supporting documents and any comments we receive on this docket may 
be viewed at http://www.regulations.gov/#!docketDetail;D=APHIS-2018-
0074 or in our reading room, which is located in Room 1141 of the USDA 
South Building, 14th Street and Independence Avenue SW, Washington, DC. 
Normal reading room hours are 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through 
Friday, except holidays. To be sure someone is there to help you, 
please call (202) 799-7039 before coming.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Ms. Rosemarie Rodriguez-Yanes, 
Regulatory Policy Specialist, PHP, PPQ, APHIS, 4700 River Road, Unit 
137, Riverdale, MD 20737; (301) 851-2313; [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Under the regulations in ``Subpart H--Plants 
for Planting'' (7 CFR 319.37-1 through 319.37-23, referred to below as 
the regulations), the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service 
(APHIS) of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) prohibits or 
restricts the importation of plants for planting (including living 
plants, plant parts, seeds, and plant cuttings) to prevent the 
introduction of quarantine pests into the United States. Quarantine 
pest is defined in Sec.  319.37-2 as a plant pest or noxious weed that 
is of potential economic importance to the United States and not yet 
present in the United States, or present but not widely distributed and 
being officially controlled. In accordance with Sec.  319.37-20, APHIS 
may impose quarantines and other restrictions on the importation of 
specific types of plants for planting. These restrictions are listed in 
the USDA Plants for Planting Manual.\1\ Under Sec.  319.37-20, if APHIS 
determines it is necessary to add, change, or remove restrictions on 
the importation of a specific type of plant for planting, we will 
publish in the Federal Register a notice that announces the proposed 
change to the manual and invites public comment.
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    \1\ https://www.aphis.usda.gov/import_export/plants/manuals/ports/downloads/plants_for_planting.pdf.
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    The citrus longhorned beetle (CLB), Anoplophora chinensis 
(Forster), and the Asian longhorned beetle (ALB), Anoplophora 
glabripennis (Motschulsky), are destructive polyphagous wood boring 
pests and are quarantine pests for the United States.
    In 2012, the European Commission (EC) asked APHIS to recognize pest 
freedom from CLB and ALB in European Union (EU) Member States based on 
equivalence and provided APHIS with supporting information that 
included new regulatory requirements, emergency control measures, and 
movement control for both species.\2\ In 2015, the EC revised their 
regulated CLB and ALB host list to include all the host genera of 
concern to APHIS.
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    \2\ See ``Commission Implementing Decision 2015/893 for A. 
glabripennis (http://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/uri=CELEX:32015D0893), and Commission Implementing Decision 2012/138 
for A. chinensis'' http://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/qid=1524250924966&uri=CELEX:32012D0138.
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    Based on information provided by the EC, we prepared a commodity 
import evaluation document (CIED). In the CIED, we concluded that in 
accordance with international provisions \3\ for recognition of pest 
free areas and areas of low prevalence, we would recognize specific EU 
Member States that are either free from both CLB and ALB or as having 
eradicated an infestation of these pests at least 3 years ago.
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    \3\ ISPM 29: Recognition of pest free areas and areas of low 
pest prevalence. International Plant Protection Convention, 2017: 
https://www.ippc.int/static/media/files/publication/en/2017/05/ISPM_29_2007_En_2017-05-25_PostCPM12_InkAm.pdf.
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    Accordingly, we propose to update the USDA Plants for Planting 
Manual by removing 22 EU Member States from the list of countries where 
CLB and ALB are present. However, although these countries are free of 
CLB and ALB, we note that this action changes the import requirements 
for host plants for these pests for only four of these countries: 
Belgium, Denmark, the Netherlands, and the United Kingdom.\4\ These are 
the only EU countries that have previously approved CLB and ALB host 
genera that are currently exempt from the category of plants Not 
Authorized Pending Pest Risk Analysis, or NAPPRA.\5\
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    \4\ Country and individual host taxa are listed in Table 3-3 of 
the USDA Plants for Planting Manual. Import requirements for 
countries referenced in Table 3-3 and that are free of both CLB and 
ALB are located in Table 3-8.
    \5\ When a plant is NAPPRA it means that the plant cannot be 
imported until a pest risk analysis is requested and completed for 
that plant. APHIS exempts imports of plants that are hosts of 
quarantine pests from the NAPPRA requirements when there is 
significant trade of that plant between the exporting country and 
the United States. We continue to allow such importation based on 
our experience with importing these plants for planting and our 
findings, through inspection, that they are generally pest free.

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[[Page 34117]]

    NAPPRA-exempt host taxa of CLB and ALB from Belgium, Denmark, the 
Netherlands, and the United Kingdom would be admissible with the 
current import permit requirements with a stem or root collar diameter 
greater than 10 mm (0.4 inches). The NAPPRA-exempt taxa from these four 
EU countries affected by the proposed changes are:
     Malus spp. from Belgium;
     Hibiscus spp. and Rosa spp. from Denmark;
     Non-variegated Acer japonicum, Non Variegated Acer 
palmatum, Aralia spp., Carpinus spp., Cercidiphyllum spp., Cercis spp., 
Cornus spp., Corylus spp., Cotoneaster spp., Fagus spp., Ficus spp., 
Hedera spp., Ilex spp., Malus spp., Prunus spp., Robinia spp., Rosa 
spp., and Styrax spp. from the Netherlands; and
     Rosa spp. and Rubus spp. from the United Kingdom.
    Furthermore, these host taxa must also meet the following criteria 
for entry into the United States:
     The host plants were grown solely on mother stock from 
Belgium, Denmark, the Netherlands, and the United Kingdom; and
     The host plants have never been grown in a country from 
which their importation would be prohibited NAPPRA as listed in the 
USDA Plants for Planting Manual.
    We are only recognizing EU Member States that are free from both 
pests, or that eradicated an infestation at least 3 years ago. In our 
updated list, the EU Member States that would continue to be listed as 
countries where ALB and/or CLB are present are: Austria, Croatia, 
Finland, France, Germany, and Italy.
    After we review public comments on our proposed changes to the USDA 
Plants for Planting Manual, we will publish a second notice to affirm 
our proposed changes or to inform persons of any additional changes 
with respect to the importation of host plants of CLB and ALB from 
Belgium, Denmark, the Netherlands, and the United Kingdom.

    Authority: 7 U.S.C. 1633, 7701-7772, and 7781-7786; 21 U.S.C. 
136 and 136a; 7 CFR 2.22, 2.80, and 371.3.

    Done in Washington, DC, this 11th day of July 2019.
Kevin Shea,
Administrator, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service.
[FR Doc. 2019-15185 Filed 7-16-19; 8:45 am]
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